Pradollano

Pradollano is a town located in Monachil and the name comes from its location on a plain between mountains; at an altitude of over 2000 meters it is highest population centre in Spain.

The origin of Pradollano goes back to the construction of the ski resort of Sierra Nevada next to Borreguiles, which is situated at a higher altitude and is not inhabited as it focuses exclusively on services.

Excursion from Pradollano

From Pradollano we can perform a moderately difficult hike that takes us to Monachil along 19.20 kilometres in about 6 or 7 hours.

This descending route takes us from the freezing climate to the foot of the Sierra and begins at Fuente del Mirlo in Pradollano from where we take the cross country ski track that takes us to Prado Redondo.

In Prado Redondo can be found some remains of old farmhouses that were used by shepherds and farmers when the snow melted. We will follow the trail to Prados del Aire, where we cross a ravine until we reach a fork in the path, where after taking the path on the right, we descend to the oak trees and the power plant where we can recharge batteries and drink some water from the fountain before continuing our way after crossing a wooden door that will take us back to the path.

Following the trail we pass by another power station until we reach the fountain Fuente de las Chorreras, where we can rest in the shade next to the river and replenish our thirst if we have not done before.

The path will take us to a suspension bridge of the early twentieth century that we cross, being this part of the trail of great beauty and very comfortable to walk; we already nearing the end of our tour which ends in a lane that will leads back to the village from the power plant of Tranvias.

Recommendations

This route is recommended during the summer and autumn, as during the winter the presence of ice and snow can quite hinder our journey.

The route is not marked; you may want to bring a map or GPS.

How to get to Pradollano

To reach Pradollano we have to take the direction Granada from Malaga; we pass by Casabermeja, Loja and arriving to Granada we follow the signposts that indicate the route to take to get to the ski resort of Sierra Nevada.